West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-04-28

II ii
which hHva hccn widely denounced MS inn
moral aud damaging in their iunucncc yot
have hundreds OF personal friends Who belong
:, S,., them; friends who arc eopsocfstei 70
In all relSCouS OF life, examples OF
virtue and picty. They Nre tha Kind OF
friends whom would have for my executors
n am so happy rs 10 leave anything Tor my
household at tho time OF doccasc, and they are
tho mon whom I would have carry mo out 20
the last sleep when afri dead. Nou cannot
mako me believe that they would belong 10
bad institutions. They nro the mon who would
stamp on everything iniquitopS, and would
certainly rather take their testimony I'm M.
gard 10 such societies than the tcs' linSnv Of
those who, having been sworn in as members
bv their aSsault uppn The society confess them
selves pcrturorS One of tltesc sscrct societies
gave for tho relief OF tho sick i'm iS1S nv this
country, sI,4o0,e7a Some OF these societies
have poured q very heaven OF sun
shine and bcncliciion into tho home
OF suffering. Several OF thcm erS founded
on fidelity 10 good citizenship and tho Bible
nave never taken ono OF their degrees
They might give mo the grip a thousand
times, and l would fot tcC0gliizc H. | am
IGNORANT Of their pass words, 6ud I must
Judge entirely from tho outside mt
which we may judge not only nil individuals.
but SociettoS secret and open. ''By their
fruits 70 sNall Know thcuth Rod societies
mako bad men. Good societies make gooi
men. a bad man will not stay IN n good so
cicty. good man will not stay IN a bnd SO
cicty Then try all secret societies 10y two or
three rules
Test the first; Thcir influence on home, If
YOU have homo That wifo soon loses her
Influence over hor husband who ncrvouslv
and foolishly looks upon all evening absence
rs an assault on dUmCstiCity. How are the
great enterprises of reform and art aud lit
erature, and benciiccnce and public veal 10 be
carried on AZ every man T. 10 have his
hOun1p1 nv ic a.
step, and on the other side nv his back win
dow, Knowing nothing higher than his own
attic, or lower titan his owu CCllNri That
wife who becomes jealous Of her husbands
attention 10 art or literature, on religion, o,
charity Is breaking her own sCeptro OF con.
lugal power. ] know an instance where a
wife thought that her husband was
giving too msny nights 20 Chris
prayer meetings, and To- religious CrnvoCa-
ton. She systematically decoycd him away
until now he attends no church, waits upon
40 charitable institution, and l. on "A rapid
way u destruction, his morals gone, his
money gone, and j fear his soul gone. lot
any Christian wife fciUico when her husband
consocrates evenings TO the service of human
ny, aud of God, or charity, or art, OF any
thing clovating
But Jet no man sacrifice home life 10 secret
society life, ~ many do 1 can point out TO
you Il great many names of men who are
guilty of this sacrilcgc They arc az genial
ugly as sin at home. They are generous ON
all subjects Of wine suppPrs, yachts and
fast horses but they are stn2v about the
wives dresses and the Chidrens shoes That
man has made that which might be a health
ful influence, usurper of his affections aud
he has married IL. aud hn Is guilty OF moral
bigamy. Under this process, the wife, what
ever her features, becomes uninteresting
and homely. He becomes critical of
her, does not like she dress, does
not Ike the way sho nrrangcs
her hair, is amazed that he ever was so un-
romantic as to offer her hand and heart.
There are secret societies where membership
always involves domestic shipwrock Tcll
me that man has Joined n certain kind and
tell me nothing more about him for ten years
and viii write his history il he be still alive
brokcn-hcarted or prematurcly old, his
fortune gono or reduced and his
homo mere namo i'm directory
Hero are six secular nights in the week
:,What shall do with them = says the father
and tho husband. 81 will give four Of these
nights TO the Improvement and entertainment
OF my family, either at homo or i'm good
neighborhood. i will devote one 20 chnri
table institutions. / will devote one 30 my
lodge"
/ congratulate you Here is n man who
snys: "Out Of the six secular nights OF the
week ] will devote five 90 lodges and clubs
and associations and one 20 the home, which
night will spend in scOwling like a March
squall wishing l was out spending IL as
have spent the other five nights That mans
obituary is written. Not one out Of 10, 900
Tint over gets 50 far on tho wrong road
ever stops Gradually his henlth will fnil
through late hours, and through too much
sttmulants he will bo trst-Tata prey for cry
sipelas and rheumatism OF the heart Tho
doctor coming In will at glance SEQ 10 IS not
only present disease ho must fight, but
the sake Of the feelings OF the
family, on tire funeral day will only talk in
religious goDcralitics. Tho men who got his
yacht IN the eternal rapids will not bo at the
obSeques. They have pressing engagements
that day. They will send flowers to the coffin
viii send their wives 10 utter words OF sym
pathy but they will have engagements else
where They never come. Bring me mallct
ana chisel, and VIII cut on the tomb tone
that mans cptaph " Blessed are the dead
who die I'm the Lord " " No" you snv % TINT
would not be appropriate " "Iet me die tho
death OF the righteous and let my last end bc
ilke ms No,' you say, that would not
TO appropriate" Then give me the malet
and the chisel and / will cut an honest opi
taph; " Hero lies tho victim Of disyipatng
| associations"
Another test by which you can find whether
your secret sOci ~ ia right or wrong is tho
eheot 10 has upon your secular OccIpntion ]
can understand how through such an iustitu.
ton man can reach commercial success !
know some men have formed their best bust
ness relations through sue a channel IL the
secrot society has advantagcd you in am hon
oruble calling 10 is good one But
has your credit failedf Are bargain makers
more anxious how they trust you with "a bale
or ROOdsf Have the men whose name were
down in the commercial agency A j. before
thcy entered the society. been going down
since in commercial standingf Then look ont
You and / every day know uf commercial
establishments going 10 ruin through tho
social excesses Of one or two members their
fortune beaten 10 death with ball plnyers
bat. or cut amidships with tho Prov m tho
r."ati4 or going down un fer the swift hgofs
or the fa-t hOrsrs. or drowned in the largo 10.
tatOns oi COguuc OF Mon0uguhrla Tint s..
fret society wa the Loeb Earn The business
was the Vile de Hnvrc Thcy struck aud the
Nlllo de- liavrc went uudcrT
Tho third tcst by which you NAV know
whether the sDicty ~ which Won belong IS
good OF bad rs this. What is ita effect ON your
sense Of moral and religious obligation Now
N J should take the names of an the people in
tihs audience this morning and put them
ON a roll. and then i should lny that
roll back of this organ aud m
hundred years from now some one should
take that roll and call 10 from A t0 y there
would not one ~ you answer say that any
society That makes me forget that fact is 70
bad society When j g0 ~ Chicago I am
somewhat pcrplcXcd at Buffalo ns Z suppY4s
many travellers are, ag ~ whether H is
better to take tho Lake Shore route
OF the Michigan Central. equally extedit.ous
and equally safe getting ~ their destination
~ the same time. But suppose that ! hear
that on one route the track is torn up the
bridges are down and tho rttIfrhf. arn t1r